Hunter: Air show nets $1.5M

Pentagon vetoed Miramar military flights, citing cost and fairness

The MCAS 2012 Miramar Air Show included demonstrations by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S. Navy Leap Frogs, as well as myriad jets, attack helicopters, Osprey and civilian Sean Tucker in his Oracle Challenger plane.
— Peggy Peattie / U-T San Diego

The MCAS 2012 Miramar Air Show included demonstrations by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Army Golden Knights and U.S. Navy Leap Frogs, as well as myriad jets, attack helicopters, Osprey and civilian Sean Tucker in his Oracle Challenger plane.
— Peggy Peattie / U-T San Diego

The Miramar Air Show makes an average net profit each year of $1.5 million, according to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, citing an unnamed senior government source familiar with defense accounts.

Hunter inquired about the bottom line for San Diego’s annual aviation event after the Defense Department grounded military flights for the 2013 air show scheduled for Oct. 4-6. Officials cited the unspecified “cost” and a departmentwide freeze on aerial demonstrations under sequestration budget cuts.

More than 500,000 people usually attend the free three-day event, which brings in money from corporate sponsorships and paid premium seating.

Grounding a moneymaking air show because of budget problems is “purely political,” Hunter said. “After speaking to dozens of military sources from the Pentagon, the consensus is there is no other reason other than to inflict political pain on Congress.”

Financial reasons
28% (57)

Political reasons
72% (145)

202 total votes.

Miramar officials are weighing whether to proceed with the show using civilian performers and static ground displays. The last time the air show was canceled was shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Pentagon comptroller announced in March that all aerial demonstrations would be grounded starting April 1.

“That policy has not changed,” according to the July 11 decision letter signed by Rene C. Bardorf, deputy assistant secretary of defense for community and public outreach. “In fact, no flyovers or aerial demonstrations have taken place except those in support of active duty funerals and the repatriation of remains of those formerly missing in action.”

When asked for a detailed accounting of the costs cited in the Defense Department decision, Pentagon officials declined to comment and referred questions to the Marine Corps. Public affairs staff at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar said they hope to release figures by late today.

Jenn Elzea, a Defense Department spokeswoman, said the decision also involved a question of fairness because community events nationwide have had to do without military flights. The demonstrations were stopped to help the department absorb automatic, across-the-board budget cuts triggered by failed long-term debt negotiations in Congress.

“The decision on the aerial demonstrations at Miramar is consistent with ... guidance (from the comptroller that grounded demonstration flights) and previous guidance on this same subject and the guidance has been applied fairly across-the-board,” Elzea said.

Political backers in San Diego say the Miramar show merited an exception because it is far more than entertainment: it is an effective military recruiting tool that also pumps money into the community and air station programs for the benefit of Marine families.

The International Council of Air Shows, a trade group, says the Miramar show has an estimated local economic impact of $17 million annually, second nationally to only the civilian-run EAA AirVenture fly-in convention in Oshkosh, Wis., that pulls in $35.1 million for the area.

After a slated appearance by the Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team was scuttled, the Marine Corps sought permission to proceed with the Miramar show using only local military units. The money for fuel was already appropriated in the operations and maintenance account for ongoing training requirements, awaiting a waiver, military officials said.